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Tag(s): 2008 Election Presidential; Americans-Things American; Cartoons Editorial; Community; Community-Tribal; Experience; McCain-John; Newsweek; Obama-Barack; Obama-Barack; (more...) Organizer; People; Presidency; Republican Hypocrisy; Sarah Palin; Sonoma; Sonoma County; Video (less...)
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September 6, 2008 at 11:05:24

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ON OBAMA BEING A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER / IT'S ABOUT BEING IN SERVICE

by Allen L Roland

www.opednews.com

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John McCain and Sarah Palin have belittled Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer before he held public office ~ but actually that community service melded Obama's empathetic character much as it did with other historic community organizers such as Susan B Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day and Cesar Chavez : Allen L Roland
The desperate Republicans have nothing except a crumbling economy to run on so they are resorting to name calling, labeling and when all else fails ~ they will definitely play the race card.
But belittling Barack Obama's years in community organizing got an immediate indignant response from hundreds of community
organizers across the country but particularly Obama's original supervisor ~ Jerry Kellman, the man who supervised Obama when he arrived in Chicago to work for the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) on the South Side of Chicago.
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 8:17 PM ET Sep 5, 2008
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157424
Kellman thinks the years that Obama spent in Chicago ~ meeting in church basements, liaising meetings between community members and earning a $10,000 salary for a job where 16-hour days were typical ~ were integral to the politician that he would become. And, on a larger scale, community organizers shape American communities, both urban and rural.
NEWSWEEK's Sarah Kliff spoke with Kellman about his reaction to the McCain/ Palin comments; why community organizers are important; and how community organizing underlies the Obama campaign strategy. Excerpts:
Newsweek: Do you think the time that Obama spent organizing was important to his political career?


Kellman: " I think it was the pivotal public experience of his public life. It's where his basic orientation in public life was formed. He learned that the way to get things done is to get people to work together, even though they may not like each other. His sense of compromise also developed there. Basically you carve out your ethical limits and make sure to never cross them but, within them, understand the need to use compromise to get things done. There's also his comfort with narrative. What he did was take this passion he had for story, which brought him to the brink of wanting to try being a novelist and short story writer, and began to use it as an organizer. That's the way he communicates still. Even one to one, sometimes his staff has to pull him away from a conversation because he's so eager to get people's story. A lot of that orientation was formed in organizing, his sense of what it means to be outside of things."
Barack Obama is uniquely qualified to be our next president for he approaches the presidency as an organizer and empowerer of Americans ~ who collectively know what it means to have been outside of things for the last eight years.
Here's his new powerful must see one minute political Ad on the same subject ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpniuotfpR8&eurl
Allen L Roland
http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2008/09/06.html
Freelance Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com )
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on  www.conscioustalk.net
Cartoon courtesy of Tom Toles / Washington Post

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5 comments

I was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1945, worked as aircraft mechanic for 35 years and moved to Florida from Brooklyn in 2003.
Freddie VeneziaI was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1945, worked as aircraft mechanic for 35 years and moved to Florida from Brooklyn in 2003.

People do not understand the term

I watched "Real Time" with Bill Maher and guest Michael Steele, the Republican Lt. Governor of Maryland kept arguing against Obama's work as a community organizer. From the way he framed his sentences and from the responses he got from the other people on the panel, it indicated to me that they thought that being a community organizer meant signing people up to join the Democratic party.

Of course, community organizer actually meant helping members of the community organize to rid asbestos from their city owned project apartments, helping laid-off workers get job training and jobs, and performing many other functions to give members of the community the voice needed to contact government and get help.

by Freddie Venezia (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments) on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 11:44:55 AM

I am currently retired. My favorite hobbies are karaoke singing, photography, and travel. I have immediate family living outside of Philadelphia, PA whom I visit once a year (during the Christmas holidays). I've also participated in a number of anti-war demonstrations since October of 2002. I consider myself a staunch defender of the US Constitution.
eileen kuchI am currently retired. My favorite hobbies are karaoke singing, photography, and travel. I have immediate family living outside of Philadelphia, PA whom I visit once a year (during the Christmas holidays). I've also participated in a number of anti-war demonstrations since October of 2002. I consider myself a staunch defender of the US Constitution.

People Do Not Understand the Term

Great point, Fred. The extreme right-wing GOP dimwits will never understand what public service is. After all, among the first community organizers was Jesus Christ Himself. Barak Obama was just following in His footsteps - perhaps, not quite realizing it - but, organizing in areas of Chicago hardest hit by the closing of the only steel plant certainly falls into the category of helping one's neighbors.

by eileen kuch (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 53 comments) on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 5:43:30 PM

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on Conscious talk radio www.conscioustalk.net
Allen L RolandAllen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on Conscious talk radio www.conscioustalk.net

GOOD POINT, FREDDIE

From the way he framed his sentences and from the responses he got from the other people on the panel, it indicated to me that they thought that being a community organizer meant signing people up to join the Democratic party.

Good point, Freddie ~ people hear what they want to hear particularly the Republican right wing. Never underestimate the stupidity of a large portion of the American people ~ particularly far right Republicans who still support Bush's economic policies. Community service is a foreign concept to them and to be avoided at all costs ~ and most certainly misunderstood as to its benefits to society.

Allen L Roland

by Allen L Roland (920 articles, 7 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 358 comments) on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 3:48:30 PM

10 year Navy veteran,former Federal employee with various agencies,
Gallaher10 year Navy veteran,former Federal employee with various agencies,

Some thing stinks here.

I closely watched the Obama, McCain, and Padin bios this weekend.

Nothing on Biden not a word. Why?

Even more telling was how little we know of what Obama was really doing in New York and why he left.

Why will these people not talk to the press?

To be honest the time in New York sounds very fishy.

No home, living on the streets, while on drugs possibly dealing drugs?

Did he really graduate from college?

Has anyone seen his transcripts?

Why would anyone (even a black guy) with a degree from such a prestigious college have a hard time getting a job anywhere?

The best job he could find was as COMMUNITY ORGANIZER?

Note - he said he sent out quite a number of resumes... and this was the only offer he got?

This has just left me with too many questions.

I know Harvard will accept people without checking on under graduate degrees, because they offered me to attend their business graduate school before I had finished my under graduate degree.

by Gallaher (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 797 comments) on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 9:45:43 PM

Why don't you do some research?

I have read both of Senator Obama's books and "Faith of My Fathers" by John McCain.

Your comment sounds like "push polling", a practice where questions are actually used to spread disinformation. I would never accuse you of intentionally employing that practice, but when questions are thrown about without research, then disinformation is propagated. Being able to ask an intelligent question requires at least some information based on fact.

by Freddie Venezia (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 8 comments) on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 12:45:56 PM